Chapter 127

It took seven or eight days to finish making the straw mat.

After laying it down, roll it up during the day and lay it down at night to let the vegetables sunbathe and keep the temperature inside the greenhouse from dropping.

Alena brought some seeds, but neither the quality nor the quantity satisfied Jiang Wenxing. He remembered that there was a cold-resistant sunflower in Kush that was easy to grow and rich in nutrients.

He wanted to go to Kush with Alena to exchange some money with the locals.

Besides this incident, Jiang Wenxing would record the mental state of Squad Leader Xiong and Aguz every day.

However, there has never been a chance to take a closer look at Ilya. The captain has been very busy since October, often going on missions and not returning to the base for seven or eight days at a time.

Alena said that the ants were more frequently harassed in autumn and winter because they lacked food.

At night, Jiang Wenxing sat in his dormitory reading.

He gave all the books to Director Liu, who gave him a large box of candy in exchange for the books. Jiang Wenxing didn't want them, but Director Liu insisted that he accept them.

That very night, a young sentry, his face covered in mud, came to deliver something to Jiang Wenxing: a bag of wild apples. The young sentry who delivered the items looked completely bewildered, as did the guide who received them.

"Who... brought this?"

Since the sentry didn't speak, after staring at each other for a while, Jiang Wenxing took the initiative to pull him aside and ask.

The sentry stood there, scratching his head, completely bewildered.

When he arrived, the group was in Xiaoxi Mountain. Everyone was covered in mud to keep warm. There were so many people and it was so chaotic that he couldn't tell who was who at all. He could only vaguely remember that there were mud wolves howling... There were more than a dozen wolf-shaped sentinels named Kush. The little sentinel racked his brains but still couldn't remember them, so he simply brought up his master.

"Yes, uh, uh, Aguz."

Jiang Wenxing was stunned: "Agust?"

Little Sentinel: "Oh, right, well, I'll leave once I've delivered the goods."

Jiang Wenxing pulled him into the house: "Wait a moment."

The guide's room was clean and tidy, but the little sentry's feet were covered in mud, and he wished he could stand up on his toes.

Jiang Wenxing grabbed a handful of candy from the box, put it in the little sentry's pocket, and then wrapped another bag in cloth and handed it to him: "Take this back for them to eat."

The little sentry was at a loss. Why was there a return gift? He was torn between accepting it and not accepting it. When he heard the whistle for emergency assembly, he gritted his teeth, stuffed the candy into his pocket, and left.

Meanwhile, the mental landscape checks on the sentries were also nearing completion.

Apart from a dozen or so wounded sentries, most of the sentries needed the help of guides to understand their mental state.

This cleaning process is meticulous and lengthy, requiring three to four times a month.

Alena has decided to stay in Kush. She and Arno have been handling most of the sentinels' mental well-being and are exhausted these past few days.

As for Zhu Ning, he fell ill after returning from the office and has been receiving intravenous fluids in the infirmary, unable to get out of bed at all.

But only he knows the truth.

As long as you stay for six months and obtain border defense service experience, even if you don't get a recommendation from Baita, you can still take the exam and get a good job back in the city.

Border defense is severely lacking in guides, and the number of guides is extremely limited.

Without these policy supports, no guides would be willing to come to Kush; there are plenty of job opportunities waiting for them outside.

Therefore, Jiang Wenxing wanted to set up the vegetable greenhouse as soon as possible and do everything he could to prepare for the future.

Alena was born and raised in the area and was very familiar with the vast Tanijama. Some of the herders moved around with the water and grass, and there were markets wherever they gathered.

He and Alena agreed to go to the market to exchange some seeds and then go together to Director Liu to submit a report.

Director Liu has been getting really frustrated with the "ant tribe" these past few days. He took a big gulp of tea and said, "Not now. No one will be responsible for the safety of you two little guides!"

Alena had grown up in the forest, and she planned to take Jiang Wenxing along a side path. Besides, she knew this vast forest very well, so there was no danger there: "Let's go along the side path and come back in one night. Don't bother anyone else. Jiang, I can protect him!"

“Yes,” Jiang Wenxing smiled. His spiritual body was not offensive, but Alena’s Congolese lioness was a real beast: “You stand in front, and I’ll shoot from behind.”

Alena chuckled: "Yes, yes, no problem. It's just the two of us. Apart from the sentries, we won't encounter any danger! The place we're going to is about a hundred kilometers from the border, and there are no ant tribes there."

The task of patrolling the mountains is heavy; if one person is transferred, another person has to take on the workload of two people.

Alena and Jiang Wenxing agreed that they would set off at dawn, march overnight, and be able to return by the evening of the next day.

Director Liu shook his head: "That won't do, it's too dangerous."

Jiang Wenxing and Alena exchanged a glance. Alena's patience was wearing thin, and she looked like she was about to throw a tantrum. Jiang Wenxing stopped her and said, "Then what do you suggest, Director? The market will be over in a couple of days. Our trucks only go out once every three months. By the time the purchasing team comes back with the seeds, the snow will be as tall as a person."

Director Liu and Ilya had already discussed this and valued the "dietary" treatment proposed by the little guide, but it could be done anytime, just not now!

He put down his cup, his mouth full of blisters from the heat: "No means no. You two little bastards, don't try to argue with me. My head is about to explode."

"We can set up this greenhouse next spring; your safety is the most important thing."

Alena was about to say more when Jiang Wenxing pulled her out the door. Alena was very disappointed: she mumbled in a mix of Tanas and Mandarin, "I went into the forest when I was eight years old, no, six years old. The place wasn't far away, there was no problem at all! No problem!"

Jiang Wenxing sighed, her fair face tense: "Director Liu is right, the guide's safety is the most important thing."

Alena glared at him: "Jiang! You don't believe me either!"

Jiang Wenxing shook his head: "It's not that I don't trust you, but if I were Director Liu, I wouldn't approve this note either."

Alena was even more disappointed. She was very interested in Jiang Wenxing's "diet" therapy. She had witnessed the sentries eating and vomiting, and had even studied it when Jiang Wenxing was feeding the pigs.

Alena would laugh if others did this, but Jiang was the smartest among them, and could even lead the sentries like a seasoned guide, something Alena couldn't even begin to grasp.

She felt a sense of responsibility that reminded her to do something.

Alena's mind was in turmoil, and her expression kept changing. Jiang Wenxing said, "Never mind, let's go back first."

...

...

...

Night falls.

In the deep blue sky, a silver moon pierces through the clouds.

Jiang Wenxing reached the ditch below the sentry post, where a tall fir tree blocked his view.

He crouched behind a tree, tightened his leggings, threw the little mouse out to scout ahead, and relied on the connection between his spiritual entities to evade the first wave of patrolling soldiers.

The moonlight flickered, and as the moon disappeared behind the clouds, Jiang Wenxing seized the opportunity, quickly somersaulted, and rushed behind the earthen slope.

Before he could even stand up straight, he was tackled by a tremendous force. A large, furry paw pressed down on Jiang Wenxing's shoulder, and the merciless iron hand almost crushed his face.

"you!"

Jiang Wenxing quickly recognized the culprit. His back felt like it was about to be broken by the Congolese lioness. He lowered his voice and said, "Alena!"

Alena's face was painted black, revealing a set of menacing white teeth. She looked surprised and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you that too!" Jiang Wenxing snapped, "You almost killed me!"

The two guides stared at each other in the pitch-black night, both understanding why the other had come. Alena said, "I'll go alone and be back in one night. You go back!"

Jiang Wenxing shook her head: "No, even if we take a step back, you're a woman too, you can't go. I know the way, I can get back!"

Alena glared at him and scolded, "How can you not know what's good for you!"

"You don't know what's good for you!"

No one could convince anyone else, but in fact, he and Alena had been squatting for half an hour without finding a chance to sneak out. They were practically numb from squatting for so long.

Jiang Wenxing and Alena stared intently at the moon, but there wasn't a single cloud in sight.

I could vaguely see a person walking towards me from the woods, wearing clothes, with a snow leopard beside him.

Arno returned from the toilet and was about to go back to his room when his spirit sensed something unusual. His gaze suddenly turned to the trench, and he took his flashlight and walked a little closer. Just as he was about to shine it into the darkness, he was pulled in by an iron hand.

In the darkness, three people with six large eyes stared at each other in bewilderment.

The nighttime operation inexplicably turned into a three-person operation. Arno squinted and quickly guessed: "You're going to sneak out to buy seeds?"

Alena: "How did you know?"

Arno didn't answer. He couldn't very well say that he was more concerned about Jiang Wenxing. He pursed his lips, his expression not clearly visible in the darkness, and said to Jiang Wenxing in a somewhat complicated tone, "That bracken was awful. The sentries I found ate it once and refused to come back."

Eating bracken fern?

Jiang Wenxing had no idea what Arno meant and was completely at a loss about the situation. Arno, on the other hand, was very proactive, squatting down in the ditch and smearing some mud on his face: "I'll help you, but I want to come along."

Alena: "No way!"

Arno remained very calm: "But you don't know how to sneak out."

Alena raised her eyebrows: "You."

Jiang Wenxing's mindset was rapidly changing; the situation was too complicated. He lowered his voice, his expression serious and fierce: "Shut up, all of you!"

Alena and Arno fell silent instantly.

The night was too noisy, and time slipped away second by second, but they were stuck here like a large group of people, unable to move. Finally, with no other choice, Jiang Wenxing gritted his teeth and nodded.

Arno seemed very familiar with the patrol post, leading them around the pigpen. As they entered the woods, Alena moved her wrist and touched Arno's side. Arno immediately became alert: "If you're going to try and rip me off, I'll yell for you."

Jiang Wenxing was also a little confused: "Why do you insist on coming with us? This could lead to disciplinary action."

Under the moonlight, Arno's expression was indifferent, without the smile that made Jiang Wenxing uncomfortable. He said, "I just want to see how far you can go."

What does this mean?

Before he could even think, Alena had already run off with the lioness. Jiang Wenxing took off after her, with Yano and the snow leopard following behind.

The forest was dark and dense at night, surrounded by an eerie yet silent emptiness. They had to trek more than seventy kilometers through the late autumn woods, stepping on fallen leaves and mud.

Author's Note: